Connections
by Joveesia
Summary: Alex meets Desmond Miles, an escapee from Abstergo. Alex figures that Desmond has the info he needs. What will happen when these two meet? Will become Slash at a later date. Post AC1, Pre AC2, Follows Prototype
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! This is my second story and my first multi-chapter one. So please go easy on me if you MUST bitch me out for reasons unknown. This will turn into eventual Slash, not sure when considering I don't have much planned for this story yet. CleverDuck Beta'd this for me so I hope it caught all of the mistakes. If not, let me know. And if you really like it, please comment! It will certainly help chapters to pop up sooner.~ Aaaaaaaaaaand, Here's Connections :]

* * *

This had to be the worst day of his life.

Desmond Miles, 25, had finally escaped his captors at Abstergo. It was only possible thanks to Lucy, whom he was currently following as they ran through the sterile hallways. The escape seemed to be going smoothly. Nothing happened; no one caught sight of them as Lucy and Desmond raced to the nearest, unguarded exit. It was almost too effortless, too perfect. Almost.

Warren Vidic had somehow known the Assassin and the would-be-Assassin would be exiting through the parking lot. Dear Dr. Vidic had ordered many of his guards to swarm the parking lot at the first sight of anyone trying to escape. A matter of seconds after Lucy and Desmond stepped into the parking lot, it was teeming with Templars. At some point during the confusion and mayhem of the fight, Desmond was separated from Lucy. He figured that if he was able to get away, Lucy should have too. Only problem was, Desmond had no idea where she would have gone.

Now, Desmond was walking the busy streets of Manhattan. Weaving and swerving through the mass, he noticed that he wasn't very far from his home before the kidnapping. After what he had learned though, he could never go back to that life of ignorance.

"_Besides, Abstergo's sure to see if I crawled back to that place."_ He thought as he avoided a man on his cell phone. Desmond took a right into a dark alleyway, checking over his shoulder to make sure no one followed him. Feeling sufficiently safe, his posture relaxed. Desmond saw a nearby ladder and moved towards it.

"_Need to get higher up, see what's happening."_ He moved with the swiftness of his ancestor, something he never seemed to possess before. He was on the roof in a matter of minutes. Looking down the sides of the roof discretely, he could in fact see no one looking like they were looking for him. Desmond decided to climb up a couple more stories, to get further from any Abstergo agents. He got to about six stories up before he was unable to continue further. Six stories up and the scenery was breath taking for him. It was so different from had he saw from day to day. Sounds of the streets echoed off of the skyscrapers, creating a surreal feeling.

It hit him a second time as he stood there, he was free. He was _free_. Desmond inhaled the Manhattan air as he looked at all of the adjacent buildings. His gaze happened to fall on what appeared to be a man _running_ up the face of a building a block away.

"_What the hell…?"_ Desmond gaped. He managed to tell that the figure who was defying gravity was male. Curiosity momentarily seized him.

_Who was he? _

_Where was he going? _

_How can he do that_?

Questions raced through his head before his (maybe Altair's) logic kicked in, answering the questions.

_He's obviously someone to stay away from._

_It's none of your business. Besides, you can't follow him._

_Probably better if you didn't know how he got them._

In moments, the figure was gone. Desmond stood for a moment in astonishment. He figured he should get moving, he was still relatively close to Abstergo. Last thing he wanted was to be caught again. Searching for a path over the few lower buildings, Desmond moved forward.

* * *

Alex Mercer, 29, had lead a pretty interesting life. At least, from what he could recall from his few memories it was interesting. Unfortunately, he couldn't recall much. Only his name and the fact he woke up in a GENTEK morgue. If that wasn't strange enough, he found out that he could be riddled with bullet holes and be just fine. It wasn't a problem, it was just _weird_ and he wanted to know how and why he was like this. The only way he'd find out these things was to track down the people who did this to him.

Alex had just finished consuming a Blackwatch agent. Unfortunately, none of his memories helped Alex further is search of who did this to him. Disgruntled, he ran up a building to escape the military. He had accidentally taken his frustration out on a marine and now they were chasing him. In only took a few second for Alex to escape the sight of the marines. Why they pursued him, Alex had no explanation. After he had consumed the agent, the radio went off. The officer on the other end was saying there was a break out at the Abstergo building. The message intrigued Alex only mildly. He figured there could be someone there with the information he craved. Jumping from building to building, he made his way to the Abstergo building in record timing. When he got there, it seemed that all of the fuss was over. In fact, it looked like nothing happened at all. Turning around, he continued on to where he thought actual results might crop up.

As Alex sprinted up the side of a building, he felt the gaze of someone fall on him. It somehow felt different from the other stares he received.

Infection of the Blacklight virus in Manhattan: 3%


	2. Chapter 2

So here's the second chapter! Hopefully I'll have the next one up soon. Thoughts, comments and questions are all welcome!

* * *

It had been about two days since Desmond escaped from the Abstergo facility. He still had no idea where Lucy was or what might have happened to her. The only thing Desmond could do right now was hope she was safe and pray that Abstergo wouldn't find him. That task, of course, was easier said than done. He made sure he had a new identity, a job to pay the bills, and an apartment with few personal items. He always had to be ready to run. Desmond always paid with cash, no credit cards. He also didn't buy any vehicles. Smart move bearing in mind that's what Absergo used to hunt him down in the first place. He was picking up the pieces rather quickly for man that had been free for only two days.

Lady Luck seemed to be on his side. Desmond was able to find a bartending job, something he was familiar with. Faces of regulars looked at him curiously, wondering what happened to the other bartender on Desmond's first day. They all warmed up to him quickly, revealing their names and sometimes their pasts to him. He already felt welcome with these people. Besides the occasional angry drunk, life for Desmond Miles was relatively back to normal. He still kept on guard for the infrequent face of a trouble maker, making sure it wasn't a Templar looking for him.

While cleaning one of the shot glasses, Desmond happened to look out one of the windows. He viewed a strange man walking, no, _shambling_ on the street right outside of the bar. Desmond lifted an eyebrow as the man shuffled after a passing couple that just disregarded him.

"_He must be drunk." _ It was the only logical explanation in Desmond's mind. He set the glass down and headed towards the man. He put his hand on the man's shoulder, wanting to face him to get his message clearly across.

"Hey, buddy, you need to go home. Do you need me to…" As Desmond turned the man around, he saw the face was disfigured. It was bloated with growths of skin on one side of the face. The other side looked like it was…_melting_. The skin sagged around his blood-shot eyes. His clothing had some blood stains on them and was torn all over. His skin was a sickly burgundy, his face turning into a scowl of a rabid animal. Desmond swiftly removed his hand from the man and took a step back. A heart-beat later, the man scuffled towards Desmond, making bestial shrieks and shrills. Desmond quickly moved back into the bar, calmly telling the patrons to remain seated while he called the police. A murmur of confusion erupted after his announcement. He moved over to the phone and dialed 911. After a minute, the dispatcher said that it might a bit before they could send a cop over to the bar. Apparently, similar cases had been cropping up all over Manhattan. Desmond thanked the dispatcher and hung up. He informed the customers who continued their murmurs. He sighed and looked out the window at the man. He was currently chasing after people unsuccessfully. Desmond could only imagine what could be wrong with the poor soul.

* * *

It had been unusually quiet for Alex. He went to see his sister, see how she could help track down those he sought. He arrived at the apartment and spoke with Dana. She had no new information to give him. Slightly irritated, he promptly left the apartment by heading to the roof. He stood on the roof only for a moment before jumping off in a random direction. He landed on the face of the building and began to run towards the skyline. After a few minutes, he was on the roof of a 120 story building. He looked around. Areas of Manhattan were covered in a light, red haze. Alex knew from past experiences that he could sometimes get superior information in infected areas. (Why, he really wasn't sure.) With a slight smirk, he proceeded to the area. Jumping from building to building, he made short time to the reddened area.

Alex landed in the middle of the street only to be met by a gruesome sight. Buildings were burning and masses of people were running in terror, screaming frantically as they were being chased by monstrous creatures. These creatures shrieked and screeched as they hobbled after their prey. Some of the more 'evolved' fiends were capable of hunting down their prey. Thankfully for the mortals, there wasn't many of these beasts. These annoying gnats were not why Alex was here. He was here because he knew there was someone with information for his plight of revenge. He was able to find the target relatively quick. The target was doing an abnormally well job of not getting killed. His luck would soon run out, however.

Alex briskly walked up behind the man, promptly slicing him in half with his claws soon after. There was a sickening 'slurping' noise as Alex absorbed the poor soul. Memories poured into his own, giving him new insight to the situation.

"_Subject: Greene, Elizabeth M. Codename MOTHER. Recovered at Hope, Idaho, 7/7/69. Operation ALTRUISTIC._

_Transferred to Ft. Detrick on 8/1/69 for containment._

_Held at Detrick, Ward F, for nine years, two months._

_10/1/78 -- transferred to containment at Governor's Island Medical Station, New York._

_Moved to Gentek midtown facility, 1/1/89, for study in__Project BLACKLIGHT."_

Alex recovered from the rush of Dr. Henrik Sebring's memories. He finally had a lead. He smiled and headed back to the hideout, leaving behind the screaming citizens. He had jumped only a few structures away when he got the compelling urge to look down. He stopped on top of a roof and looked down. All he saw was a lowly infected shambling about in front of a bar. It was so pathetically slow in its movements that people just walked around it. Manhattan was truly filled with those who cared not for others.

Infection of the Blacklight virus in Manhattan: 8%


	3. Chapter 3

Long time no see, guys! Sorry about the long wait, this chapter was a real pill for me to write for some reason /COUGHALEXCOUGH/ I'll try to get chapter 4 up soon but I won't set any deadline for myself. As for why it took me a while, my muse was murdered by friends, school, and lack of plot bunnies. /mostlyfriendsbutIwon'tgetintothatunlessyouaskDon'twanttoboreyouall/ Comments always make my day and they really do help me get my muse back. So if you could leave one, that'd be awesome :]

And now, I present Connections Chapter 3 :]

* * *

It had only been a week and things were going straight to hell. The bar where Desmond worked on the west side of Central Park had to be shut down. The quaint little establishment had been apparently located in an 'infected zone'. What the area could have been infected with was beyond Desmond. He just knew he was out of a job because of it. He was currently watching the news to see if there was any update on this 'infection'. Unfortunately, the cheery newscasters seemed to be talking about everything _but_ the contamination. Frustrated by the lack of information, he turned the TV off. He sighed, got up and moved toward the apartment's windows to see the world below. There was chaos in the streets, something he had become accustom to in these past few days. The amount of chaos, however, was something that was starting to worry him. What used to be at most a few infected people had turned into a swarm of them. He needed to move and he needed to do it soon.

Turning away from the window, Desmond headed back to the couch where the last received newspaper was located at. He sat down on his couch and picked up the paper, flipping to the housing section. Even if it was an older issue, there was still the chance that there was a house or apartment up for rent. Desmond called and called, hoping by some miracle he would get a place that wasn't in an infected zone. After what seemed like an eternity, he found an apartment that was still free for rent. The man renting it was nice enough and agreed to lower the price slightly. Desmond wrote down the address, eager to move in. He packed his few belongings. Sure the apartment was in a slightly infected zone, but anything was better than where Desmond was now. As he packed, he would occasionally look out the window to see what monstrous acts were taking place on the streets below. There were hardly any humans out on the streets and more infected than he had ever seen before. There was new infected, too. Some were bloated; others were tall and skinny with long arms and hands. And he couldn't forget the hairless gorilla. Those things were vicious. Oh yes, Desmond needed to move.

He packed a little faster, making sure he didn't leave anything behind. He looked out of the window once more only to see one of the hairless gorillas charge after something. For their size, they moved ridiculously fast. Desmond watched, curious as to what the monster was chasing. The blurred figure finally stopped in the middle of the rust and blood covered street, turning to meet its pursuer. Desmond was shocked to find it was a man in a black jacket. The mystery man just stood there as the bald brute charged at him. Desmond didn't know what to make of the guy. The man's arms appeared to shift into… claws? Desmond's eyes widened in disbelief as the man in the street hacked the charging beast, cutting into the monster's chest and removing its front right arm. Blood poured from the fresh wounds, causing the beast to howl in agony. Another slash to its head and the beast's indistinguishable body collapsed on the messy pavement.

Desmond's gaze was fixated on man and the corpse next to him. He replayed the scene of what just happened over and over in his head, trying to make sense of it. Desmond's stare, however, wasn't going to go unnoticed. The man looked around at his surroundings before settling his gaze on Desmond's third story apartment window. The moment the mystery man's gaze fell on him, Desmond felt a chill run down his spine. Desmond just _knew_ the man saw him. A fraction of a second later, the man jump at an inhuman height with frightening speed towards the window only moments after he saw Desmond. Alarmed, Desmond backed away from the window, unsure as to what was going to crash through the glass.

* * *

Alex sprinted away from the GENTEK, from where he released Elizabeth Greene. The encounter with her certainly didn't go the way he intended. Instead of getting information like he planned when he released her, she spoke to him in riddles and fled the scene. Alex then took a long fall, landing hard on the ground before new infected started to appear from inside the GENTEK building. These new monstrosities attacked the military as they recovered from their fall from the 51st floor of the GENTEK building. After all of the military units were no longer a threat, they turned their attention to Alex, knocking him around as though he was a ping-pong ball. Getting irritated, Alex dashed away from the demons, only to have them right on his heels.

"_I need to find away to get rid of them…A military base should do the trick." _ Hopping up and over buildings, Alex made his way to the nearest military base. He crashed through the glass window in the ceiling of the base, alerting everyone inside of his existence. Bullets were flying from every direction as the 'hunters' dropped in after Alex through the new opening. After many minutes of dodging and nearly getting hit, Alex saw large containers all along the walls inside the base. A smirk arose from him; these containers had something explosive in them. Alex jumped over to one of the seven containers and started to attack it. It took longer than he wanted to destroy it. It couldn't have been helped though, not when creatures from hell were constantly attacking him. After what felt like forever, Alex was able to destroy all of the containers. In doing so, though, he destroyed the base.

Alex sprinted away before any more military units showed up to investigate the destruction of the base. He only got about three blocks away before another 'pack' of hunters were chasing him. There was about four of the monsters chasing him. With an irritated sigh, he picked them off one by one until only one remained. The last one, though, was the most persistent. Even with its compatriots long dead, it was determined to kill Alex. Completely fed up with running around the city for what seemed like an eternity, Alex stopped in the middle of a street with apartment complexes on either side. Alex turned around to face the incoming monstrosity. The hunter was barreling toward Alex at an insane speed, shortening the distance in hardly any time. Alex shifted his hands into massive claws as the beast readied to lunge at him. Alex slashed at the huge body as it lunged at him. In only a few seconds, the hunter had become no more that a bloody heap on the pavement.

Alex was staring at the newly dismembered body as he felt a familiar gaze descend on him. He turned his head to where he believed it was emanating from. Sure enough, there was a man watching from the fourth story of one of the apartment buildings about thirty feet away. Though Alex couldn't see much of the man from the angle he was at, he got the sense that the man knew something about Alex and his situation. Smirking at this rather fortunate development, Alex jumped towards the frightened man.


	4. Chapter 4

Wow, this was a really fast update XD Not that I'm complaining and I'm sure none of you are complaining either. This is a shorter chapter though, by about 100 words. That probably could be blamed on the fact it's only Desu's POV this time round. Already started working on 5 but I have NOTHING planned D: That's right folks, story wise, this was as far as I thought up, minus important later plot details and such. : So please be patient with me. As always, comments are greatly welcome. I always love to see what you guys think of that I'm doing with this, even you lurkers! In fact, probably the reason I got this chapter done so fast was because of the support I got.

Changed it to 'M' just to be on the safe side, allows me to be gory then :]

And before I forget, I have to give a HUGE thanks to my beta, CleverDucky. you've been such a big help to me and you really helped me get through all of those writer's blocks. And I'm not going to lie, torturing you was great fun :'D So yeah, you all should check out her stuff, she has some really good stories :]

* * *

Desmond wasn't able to back away far enough before the mystery man came crashing through the window. He raised his hands defensively to cover his face from incoming shrapnel of glass and wall. Before Desmond was able to lower his arms enough to see the assailant's face, the hooded man pinned Desmond to the far wall with incredible speed. Desmond was thankful that only the coffee table had been a victim of the man's tirade. The impact knocked the breath out of Desmond, causing him to instinctively gasp for air. He was unfortunately denied his need, as a hand was closed around Desmond's throat. Desmond moved his legs a little to try to free himself, but found he was lifted above the ground by the owner of the hand. Desmond clutched at the other man's wrist, trying to get him to let go. When Desmond looked at his aggressor's face, he was met with the sight of frost-bitten blue eyes. The rigidity of the man's gaze seemed to look right through Desmond, sending chills down his spine. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up out of fear, his brain screaming at him to get away from this guy. It didn't help that crimson and ebony 'vines' were starting to emerge out of the man. Desmond started to struggle more, terror driving his actions more than anything else.

The tendrils crept closer to Desmond, causing him to panic more. The tendrils caressed his body, looking for the most vulnerable spot. One of the larger tendrils stopped over his abdomen before plunging into the soft tissue. Desmond struggled to cough in pain as the tendril split off inside of him, eating away at him from the inside. His screams of agony were silenced as the hand around his neck tightened. Desmond started to become light headed, started to lose his grip on reality. Slowly and painfully, Desmond's world faded into darkness.

…

…

…

He was dead. Utterly, truly deceased.

"_Abstergo will get the Apple of Eden…Take over the world with it…"_

"_**Abstergo? Apple of Eden?"**_

"_Abstergo's a company that says its __working in the field of Medicine & Science"_

"_**So what the hell is an 'Apple of Eden'?"**_

"_It's a Piece of Eden, has special powers. Allows one to control others' minds. Can't let the Templars get it or the Assassin's will be wiped out…"_

"_**Templars? Assassins?"**_

It felt like Desmond was having a conversation with someone, a normal, live conversation. This confused Desmond because he was supposed to be _dead_. How could a dead person talk to someone? He wasn't allowed to ponder on this new development for long. His thoughts had been interrupted by a massive heave. The other voice seemed to have disappeared. Confusion reigned as another heave took place. The jerks became more frequent and more violent, causing Desmond to start to lose consciousness. Just before he completely lost consciousness, he felt a weight had been restored to him.

…

…

…

Desmond awoke in a dark, musty, run-down apartment room. There was no one else in the room, just himself and a couple of moths, trying to escape to a light source. Desmond's eyes widened at the thought at what had happened previously. He was supposed to be _dead_. So why was he here, on a 'bed' (it was just a nasty mattress on the ground covered with a single sheet), with his body fully intact? He _knew_ he had died. There was no way he could have survived what had happened to him in his apartment. Desmond flexed his fingers, in awe that they were there along with the rest of him. He jumped at the sound of the door rapidly opening. Desmond's gazed moved over to see who it was that had opened the door. He was met with the sight of the mystery man from earlier. Fear started to manifest in the back of Desmond's mind as the man moved closer to him, obviously displeased about something. Desmond instinctively backed up a little bit as the man closed the distance between them. The man grabbed Desmond by his sweatshirt and pulled him close to his face.

"Who _are_ you?" The words were spat out in irritation. Desmond just looked at the man straight in the eyes, trying to not show the fear that was slowly making itself more known. Desmond swallowed and figured it would be wise to answer the man's question, but not until he knew who this guy was.

"Why don't you tell me who you are first? It's the least you could do after breaking into my apartment and kidnapping me." Desmond shot the man the best glare of irritation he could muster. The man looked even more irritated, but complied.

"Alex Mercer. Now tell me who you are." Alex's deep, gravelly voice still indicated he was annoyed.

"Desmond Miles." Desmond practically spat back at Alex. He didn't know what his problem was but he already getting tired of it.

"Mind telling me why the hell I'm here or are you just going to glare at me?" That remark earned Desmond a colder, angrier glare before having his sweatshirt released. Alex left the room in an irritated motion, apparently not feeling the need to tell Desmond anything. The door slammed shut and Desmond was left alone again.

"What a dick."


	5. Chapter 5

About two days had passed since Desmond last saw Alex, not that he really cared. He was mostly left to his own devices except for around meal time. A woman named Dana would come in and leave some sort of meal for Desmond. Sometimes, she would even stick around and carry out a conversation with him. Desmond noticed after the first few visits that she looked an awful lot like Alex and figured they must be related. How else could they the same frost-bitten blue eyes?

"So, this whole infection is thanks to GENTEK?" Dana nodded at Desmond's question.

"At least that's what Alex thinks. Who really knows what's going on in the fucked up complex." She shook her head and shrugged. She had brought in a glass of what appeared to be water in with her. After a little bit of mindless chattering, Desmond decided to try to get some answers.

"Who is Alex, exactly? What's his relationship with you?"

"Alex is my older brother. He was pretty distant for 5 years until he showed up at my door asking me to help him." She shrugged.

"You wouldn't happen to know why he's keeping me here, would you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Alex told me to keep an eye on you while he did something. Never specified what that something was. And before you ask, I can't let you go or he'd have my head." She smiled kindly as she took another sip of her drink. "I don't know why he's so interested in you either."

"That's a shame, I was going to ask you both of those things next." Desmond gave a halfhearted smile as he ate part of his salad. He was happy that Dana remembered he was a vegetarian. First time she brought him a meal, it turned out to be a ham sandwich. Desmond nearly threw up.

"Maybe you can ask him when he gets back. That is of course if he decides to answer them. Alex is known for keeping things to himself." Just then, the door opened to reveal a disgruntled looking Alex. Desmond was starting to think that Alex looked like that all the time. "Hey. I was just leaving." She gave Desmond a 'Go-ahead-and-ask' look as she took the empty plates with intent on leaving. The door closed gently behind her, leaving the two not-so-friendly males together.

"Mind telling me why I'm stuck here or are you just going to give me the cold shoulder again?" Alex looked at Desmond, narrowing his eyes a little. The little voice in the far reaches of his mind pleaded Desmond to not piss this man off. Alex glared at Desmond for a couple more seconds before finally replying in his deep, gruff voice.

"Who are the Templars and the Assassins?" Desmond's eyes widened very, very slightly at this. How could Alex have known about them? The only 'person' he mentioned to about the factions was when he was dead, and that was probably just his mind trying to preserve itself!

"_No…It COULDN'T have been him. That's just not possible. I was DEAD. Unless…."_ Unless that was Alex's voice he was talking to. Desmond's mind ran around circles, trying to figure out just what had happened on that day and how any of it might have been remotely possible. His thoughts were interrupted when Alex made an irritated noise. Desmond's eyes snapped back to focus on Alex. "I don't see why I should tell you. How can I-" Desmond's vision faded and the world turned into a familiar gray state, Altair's Eagle Vision. His gaze shifted back to Alex, who was hued in a light blue. Desmond gaped a little bit, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Alex was an _ally_? Desmond's vision thankfully returned to normal shortly after. Alex looked extremely agitated now.

"How could you, _what?_" Desmond flinched a little at the displeasure expressed in Alex's voice.

"I…never mind. The Templars are an organization that's hell bent on controlling the human race for their own 'protection'. The Assassins are the opposing group that wants to keep free will around." Desmond noticed the slight change in Alex's demeanor, he seemed a little surprised that Desmond just told him want he demanded to know. Just then, Dana walked back in with a smile on her face.

"I found out where Karen's at. Here's the address." She handed Alex a piece of paper. He looked at it, crumpled it, and turned to leave. Desmond wished he could go with him or something just to get out of the little room. After Alex had left, Desmond turned to talk with Dana.

"Karen?"

"Karen Parker, his ex-girlfriend. She always seemed nice but I never really knew her." She handed him a Coke. Desmond made a thoughtful 'hmmm' before he sipped the soda. He never would have thought Alex was capable of having a girlfriend.

"Huh. Never would have guessed." Desmond downed his Coke.

oOo

Two more days had passed and Desmond hadn't seen Alex. He asked Dana but she hadn't seen him either. Desmond was worried for some reason, maybe because he learned that Alex was an ally? Whatever the reason, it made Desmond restless. He wanted to get out of the little room so badly. Dana helped to ease the restlessness a little when she came around to check up on him. They'd chat, play a card game, do anything to pass the time as they waited for Alex to return.

oOo

Another two days had passed and Desmond was starting to feel horribly alone in the world. Dana had stopped showing up since the previous day and he still had no idea where Alex was. Desmond was starting to think he needed to leave.

He got up from the bed and walked toward the door. When he tried to open it, he was surprised to learn it was open. Desmond opened it more and walked out into the day light. He was on top of some apartment complex. Where that was located at, though, he had no idea. Desmond walked to the edge and looked over, seeing how high up he was. He didn't notice the figure land behind him with not so much as a sound. Desmond jumped and whipped around when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Desmond's surge of adrenaline faded as he realized it was a friend and not a foe.

"Alex, where the fuck have you been?" Desmond probably sounded angrier than he intended but he really didn't care. Alex wasn't looking too well either.

"Just shut up and come with me." Alex looked tired, irritated, and maybe sick. Not that Desmond was even positive if Alex was capable of getting ill.

"Go with you where exactly?" Alex rolled his eyes. He was clearly not up for this right now. Desmond tensed up a little bit as Alex briskly walked over to him, not sure if he had pissed off Alex to the point of no return. He tensed up even more when Alex slid an arm around his waist. Desmond's head whipped around to demand what Alex thought he was doing. He never did get the chance to ask, though. He was too terrified of possibly falling to his death as Alex jumped off the building towards another, taller one. Desmond immediately shut up as he clung to Alex's arm for dear life.

After what seemed like an eternity of acrobatic stunts from hell, Alex landed in front of Saint Paul's Hospital. Desmond promptly moved away from Alex, blushing ever so slightly from the combination of embarrassment from being man handled and irritation that Alex just did that little stunt with no warning what so ever.

"Don't _ever_ do that again." Desmond pointed angrily at Alex before hastily walking into the structure. An amused smirk spread across Alex's face as he followed Desmond in.

* * *

Here's Chapter 5 and my author's note is now at the bottom! XD Thanks for all of the comments, it really helps a whole lot. Uhm, for this chapter I was really surprised how well it flowed out of my head. I thought it was going to be really slow XD

The last part was totally spur of the moment. I couldn't help it XD

Comments are welcome. Critics, not insults, are welcome also. :]


	6. Chapter 6

Alright, Here I am again guys :] Been a bit of a head ache but I'm back. What headache pray tell? Well, for one thing, these were a couple of people who commented last chapter that kinda just made me hit my head on a desk. I had thought that I made it pretty clear that Alex had wrapped his arm around Desmond and then carried him like a handbag/barrel. I know it was a little thing, but it still bugged me. I was expecting to have mix ups in the timeline from Prototype. Sometimes it amazes me what confuses people XD; Side note, I do like to answer questions so if you are confused, feel free to ask. I don't mind explaining and if I get enough ofthe same questions, then I know I did something wrong XD;

Another huge thank you to my beta, CleverDucky. She really does help me out XD

And without further delay, Chapter 6!

* * *

It turned out that Alex had been staying at the hospital for the past four days. Desmond asked and asked why he would be staying here, but he never got an answer. It was later in the afternoon and Alex had run off into some other room. What did that leave Desmond to do with his free time? Explore, of course. He started with opening some of the doors in the main hall he was in. He found that most of them were locked. The last door he tried though was open. It led to another long hallway with more doors for Desmond to enter. Again, most were locked for some reason and again, the last one he tried was open. This process continued for about ten minutes until the door Desmond opened led to a room with a single man in it. There was a cadaver on one of the 5 tables the man was working with and places behind him to store other bodies. It was an autopsy room. The older black gentleman raised his head to see who had walked into the room.

"You aren't who I expected to walk through that door. Might I ask who you are?"

"Name's Desmond Miles. You are?"

"My apologies. I'm Dr. Bradley Ragland. I was a pathologist at this hospital." Desmond gave a nod in acknowledgement.

"So, Dr. Ragland, you wouldn't happen to know a guy named Alex Mercer, would you?" Dr. Ragland looked thoroughly surprised when Desmond mentioned Alex. "…Did I say something wrong?" Ragland shook off his shocked face, replacing it with a slight smile.

"No, no you didn't. I do know him, as a matter of fact." Desmond smiled slightly.

"That's awesome. Do you know where he might have gone? I lost him after I walked into the building."

"Alex should be with his sister in room 157." Desmond's eyes widened a little and his smile disappeared. That would explain why she stopped visiting for a bit…

"Why is Dana here?" He saw Ragland hesitate slightly before answering.

"She became ill. Alex brought her here so that she might cover." Desmond knew in his gut there was more too it but didn't press it. He nodded to the good doctor.

"I'll go find him then. Thanks, Doc." He turned to leave the room, leaving Ragland to continue what he was doing before. Desmond looked at the numbering of the doors when he was back out in the main hall. "309… Definitely not anywhere near here…" Desmond started to back track, looking for the desired door.

246…224…

Desmond was now back where he started. He tried the door that, supposedly, led to the hallway he needed. He was happy to find it was not locked. He walked through the door and down the hall, mentally reading off the numbers.

191…172…157.

He stopped in front of the door, noticing it was slightly ajar. He took a in a breath and gently pushed the door open, last thing he wanted to do was alarm Alex. The door opened all the way with no sound, revealing a rather touching scene.

Alex was standing over Dana, gently running his index finger down her cheek. Desmond also noticed that his stance was off; he didn't look so angry or guarded. In fact, he looked rather depressed. Alex's head turned slightly toward Desmond, obviously indicating he knew he was there. Desmond kept his distance.

"What's wrong with her?" Alex's head moved back to Dana's still figure.

"The Virus…" Alex's words sounded so heavy, so absolute. Desmond couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. Desmond lowered his head a bit. He had no right to be there.

"I'll, uh, I'll leave you two alone." Desmond turned to head for the exit. He wasn't going to leave but he really needed some fresh air. He opened the front doors and stepped outside, taking in a much needed breath. Why had something like that had to happen to someone as nice as Dana? Hell, he didn't even know what would happen to her now. He sighed and walked a little further away from the front doors. The site around him wasn't too bad, hardly any sign of the infection was present here. Desmond looked back at the front doors, debating whether he should go back in or not. In his internal debate, he didn't notice the Blackwatch soldier coming up behind him. The soldier slammed the butt of his gun into the back of Desmond's head, knocking him out instantly.

…

…

…

Desmond awoke with a major headache. He groaned a little, trying to open his eyes only to be met with an intense light. He rolled his aching head back, blinking to get his eyes to focus. He was on edge; he needed to get out of... where ever he was. He moved a little bit, only to find he was bound to a chair, a very _uncomfortable_ chair.

"So you must be the Abstergo escapee. We had a hard time tracking you down." Desmond froze. He didn't recognize the voice, but he knew this guy was not a friend. Desmond looked for the owner of said voice and found a hardened looking man. He has a single gray stripe in his black hair. He was also in some sort of military uniform, though from what branch, Desmond had no idea.

The man circled around Desmond, slowly as if he was a vulture waiting to feast upon its prey. Desmond had a hard time seeing where this guy way because of the blinding light shining down on him.

"Apparently I wasn't trying hard enough, you still found me. So, who-ever-you-are, are you just going to put me back in Abstergo or what? " Desmond's irritation started to show through. He really didn't want to listen to some bastard right now. The man smiled.

"No, and I am Captain Robert Cross. We'll give you back to our dear friend Dr. Warren Vidic after you help us catch ZEUS."

"Zeus? What, you mean like the Greek god?" Captain Cross chuckled slightly.

"No. He's currently the most wanted man in America. ZEUS is just a codename. His name as you know him is Alex Mercer." He crossed his arms in an amused manner.

"So what makes you think I can even remotely help you catch him let alone want to help?" Desmond liked this idea less and less.

"You'll help because you'll be the bait and that means you don't get a choice. I'm sure he's already found out and is on his way."

"And why in the world are you so sure?"

"Because you've faced him, been with him and you aren't dead." Captain Cross shrugged and uncrossed his arms. Desmond really wanted to correct Cross but decided against it. Who knows what Captain Cross would do if he knew the reason Desmond was still alive was because Alex _couldn't_ consume him. A loud 'thump' sounded above them. "Speak of the devil, there he is now. A little sooner than I had hoped but what can you do?"

The part of the ceiling on the far side of the room started to crack, threatening to cave in. Desmond moved against his restraints, hoping to loosen them. He unfortunately found that no matter how much he struggled, he was trapped. The ceiling buckled more before it completely crumbled. Alex jumped down from the new hole, landing with a sort of predatory grace. He stood up completely and took a stance that clearly showed he was not amused.

"So it was you, Cross." Alex started to walk toward Captain Cross, probably with the full intent of bashing his head in. Cross pulled out a handgun and that worried Desmond.

"Had to get your attention somehow, ZEUS, and using this guy seemed like the best idea at the time."

"And for all you know I just decided to come and finish our previous fight. For all you know, I don't know this guy."

"Ah, but you see, I knew you knew this fellow. A good handful of my men saw you parading around Manhattan, holding him like a handbag." Desmond winced at that. He hardly wanted to be called a handbag. Cross continued.

"I knew that this guy meant something to you because he was still around. Why else would you keep some one alive?" Cross pointed his handgun to Desmond. The knot of panic started to form in the pit of his gut.

"I do feel bad about this but he might have secrets that you do not need to know." Cross did briefly turn his head to face Desmond.

"I am sorry about this, but I can't let him gain any extra information." Captain Cross turned his attention back to Alex right after he shot Desmond three times in the torso. Desmond shook a little from the shock of being shot before looking down at his newly acquired injuries. Blood started to spill from the three holes, causing his white sweatshirt to slow take on a new crimson color. The pain hadn't even registered yet because his mind was too busy trying to process what had just happened. He was so stunned that he missed any other words exchanged between Cross and Alex. Now they were just fighting, to the death, it seemed. Pain started to blossom in Desmond's chest and gut, throwing another wrench in his thought process.

"_So this is it. I'm just going to sit here and bleed to death."_ Desmond lolled his head, hoping that it would somehow relieve the pain he was now suffering from. His blood was still pouring out, but it was hard to tell when the surrounding area was soaked with the stuff. The pain had become so bad that now it just felt numb. Desmond started to feel tired, lightheaded. His brain struggled to keep awake and tried to stay awake by focusing on the fight, which Alex was apparently winning. Desmond's limbs felt like lead and he was feeling more unfocused than before. The last thing Desmond remembered was Alex giving a fatal blow to Cross before his world faded into a vast nothingness.


	7. Chapter 7

So, here I am again! It feels longer than 5 days since I last uploaded... /shrugs/ This chapter was kinda a pain in the neck for me, it fought me for a while. T'was very very sad : None of the characters wanted to do what I wanted them to do. /le siiiiigh/ In other news:

I love the comments, they really do help. Also, asking questions is just fine! In fact, I got one last chapter asking in Lucy and company would be showing back up. For the moment and as far as I can see for this story, no. I don't think I'll put them in here. Due to the outbreak of the virus, they probably found some way to get off of Manhattan and presumed Desmond to be dead. :/ Sorry guys. Please keep the comments and any questions coming, it tells me people still care about this story XD

Oh! And I have a fun mini 'easter egg' hunt for you guys and those on DA. What do you have to find? Allow me to tell you! There are two facts I hide in this story, one being very obscure. One fact is in Chapter 5, and the other in this one. Both have one person in common, Desmond.

If you can find both of these, I'll write you a one shot of your choice [Hopefully I know the characters, if not, we'll compromise] All you have to do is send me a note with what you think it is. The clearer you are, the more likely I am to write something for you. Let me make this clear right now, **IF YOU POST YOUR ANSWERS IN A REVIEW, IT WILL BE IGNORED.** I don't want anyone stealing ideas from each other. Sorry, but that's how I'm doing it XD; If you want it to count, note me. Also, I might give you one hint if you ask very nicely and use proper English XD

Also, another huge thank you to my Beta, CleverDucky. You certainly help me out a lot, and just for that, I owe you a one shot XDD

* * *

Severe pain awoke Desmond from his deep sleep, causing him to first furrow his brows before cracking his eyes open. His head was pounding but his abdomen hurt far worse. Memories were cropping back up, reminding Desmond of his wounds. He blearily opened his eyes a bit more, trying to get them to focus so he could find out where he was now. He immediately recognized his surroundings to be Saint Paul's Hospital. He knew there was only one explanation as to how he got there and it was sitting right next to Desmond. Alex was sitting in one of the waiting chairs he apparently grabbed from one of the waiting rooms. His arms and legs were both crossed and he still wore the angry façade Desmond had become used to. Alex apparently noticed Desmond had regained consciousness because his gaze shifted from the wall to Desmond. Once again, Alex had saved Desmond from the bitter clutches of death.

Desmond tried to sit up with little success. His futile attempt ended with more pain in his abdomen than what he started with. Dr. Ragland walked through the door with a clipboard in his hands.

"So I see you're finally awake. I don't suggest moving around too much, young man, or did you forget you were shot three times? One bullet even almost hit your left lung." Desmond was extremely thankful that it didn't hit.

"Where did the other two land, Doc?" Dr. Ragland looked at his clipboard after he made sure Desmond hadn't open any of his wounds back up.

"One hit your liver while the last one shot between your stomach and large intestine. It's a miracle they didn't do more damage." He wrote something down on the clipboard before checking Desmond's pulse. Desmond glanced over at Alex, who was now watching the good doctor. Desmond knew, just knew, that that wasn't the only miracle he got that day. He looked back at Ragland.

"How long have I been out for?" Alex answered Desmond's question this time.

"About two days." Desmond blinked. Dr. Ragland finished up writing whatever he was writing before he walked towards the door, presumably to leave. Just before he exited, he turned to Desmond.

"Don't even think about getting up. Two days was not enough to completely heal you despite what you may think. Stay in bed, doctor's orders." And with that, he left. Desmond draped his arm over his eyes and let out a defeated groan. He _hated_ staying in bed. About a minute had passed before Alex decided to break the silence.

"Why didn't you stay in the hospital?" His voice was laced with a bit of annoyance, though it was extremely faint. Desmond lowers his arm enough to meet Alex's gaze, which was now trained on Desmond yet again. Desmond sighed.

"I didn't feel comfortable being inside. And I really didn't want to linger around you and Dana." Alex seemed to take offence to this, his eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean by that?" Desmond internally groaned. Last thing he wanted to do was to offend Alex.

"I didn't mean it like that! I meant that I didn't want to linger around since I was probably not wanted. She's your sister after all. I've learned over the years to not get in the way of brothers and sisters." Desmond covered his eyes back up as he talked. He heard Alex let out an irritated huff that was apparently supposed to be a laugh. Desmond frowned a bit and looked back at Alex. "What was that for?"

"If I didn't want you in that room, you would have known. Your careless decision ended in you almost dying." Alex still had his cold façade of a mindless brute put on. Desmond groaned and covered his eyes back up.

"Well excuse me. It's not like I knew I was going to get bashed in the head, kidnapped, and then shot!" Desmond's voice rose a little in exasperation. Alex's eyes narrowed again. Desmond couldn't tell from what he said that elicited that response exactly.

"No, I suppose you didn't. Though, it's no excuse for not thinking. You of all people should know you are being hunted." Desmond was starting to get really irritated.

"I wasn't _thinking?_ " Desmond sat up despite his abdomen protesting. His anger was starting to boil over. "And I suppose you were thinking when you came barreling into Cross's trap?" Alex was still glaring at Desmond.

"Yes, I was. I was thinking of how much of an idiot you were to be caught so easily."

"If you thought I was such an idiot, why even bother to save me?" Desmond nearly spat out.

"I didn't want my enemies to have any extra advantage over me."

"I'm just an _advantage_ to you? If that's all I am to you, then you still would have had your stupid advantage if you just left me there to die!" Desmond's little outburst obviously effected Alex.

"It was more advantageous to have you still alive."

"What? So you can just try to 'consume' me again?"

"No."

"Then _why_?" All of this anger was starting to jostle Desmond's wounds. Alex didn't say anything, apparently thinking that his justification didn't need to be said. This sent Desmond over the edge. "Alex, don't even start this shit again. Is it really so fucking hard for you to tell me why you even _bother_ to keep me around? I'm sick of your bullshit answers or when you deem that I don't need to know!" Desmond had one arm helping to keep himself sitting up while his other arm was stretched out to Alex, his hand clenched around one of his many jackets in fury. Alex just glared at him, obviously angry but not to the point to reduce to yelling back.

"You want to know why? Fine. I keep your pathetic ass around because you mean the world to me." Desmond blinked once, twice. Alex kept staring at him before removing Desmond's hand from his clothing. "I mean because of what you know in your head." Desmond just kept looking at Alex, apparently his brain had short circuited. Alex let out an annoyed huff before pushing Desmond back down on the bed. "You're opening your wounds back up." It was cold and matter-of-factly. Desmond looked down and sure enough, blood was trying to leak its way through the bandages. Alex stood up and walked towards the door.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Desmond had seemingly rebooted his brain. Alex turned around to him and stared him down.

"To get the Doctor, what the hell else?" Before Desmond could respond, Alex walked out the door and out of sight. Desmond grumpily sighed, running over what had just taken place.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so sorry this took so long : Life attacked me and this chapter fought against me. NOTHING WANTED TO DO AS I SAID D; But finally, here it is. I am sorry in advance if this chapter's crap. /low self esteem right here/ So any and all comments would be awesome /as long as they're HELPFUL, not just 'this sucked' THAT HELPS ME NOT/ So yeaaaah No idea when nine'll be out, I really have nothing planned so I'm just winging it, thus why this took so long :'D

Anyways, THANK YOU MY DEAR AND LOVELY BETA [ CleverDucky ], SERIOUSLY, YOU ARE A BIG HELP EVEN IF OUR RP DISTRACTS ME. :'D NOW, ON TO THE STORY~

* * *

Desmond was bed ridden for another three days. Three long, mind-numbing days. Most of Desmond's time was spent staring at the holes in ceiling of his room. He stopped after he couldn't find any new images. That left his mind to ponder on what exactly Alex had said three days before.

_You mean the world to me._

He had going around in circles trying to figure out just what exactly Alex meant by that comment. Every time Desmond thought about it, his face felt a little warm. He had on more than one occasion told himself to stop acting like a flippant teenage schoolgirl. He had thought about asking Alex, but the man never seemed to be around. Even if he was, Desmond wasn't even sure if he could ask Alex about it. He was either completely over thinking it, or there was really something behind those words that he may never know. It seemed as though either way he'd never know and it would drive him insane. He actually let out a sigh of frustration one day while Dr. Ragland was checking up on him. It earned him a look from the doctor.

"Is there something bothering you or was that directed at me?"

"Sorry, Doc. Something's on my mind." Desmond looked off to the side a bit, not really feeling like making eye contact. Ragland eyed him a bit before replying.

"That part's pretty obvious. Care to explain, get it off of your chest?" Desmond fidgeted a bit, uncomfortable with the topic.

"It's just something that someone said. It's been on my mind." Ragland raised an eyebrow.

"Would this someone happen to skulk around the hospital on a regular basis?" Desmond flinched a bit. Was it really that easy to tell?

"…Yeah." Desmond chuckled half-heartedly to himself. "Guess it really couldn't be anyone else, huh?" Ragland responded by the upturn of the corners of his mouth.

"Unless you've got a working phone I don't know about. So, what did he say to make you obsess over it this whole time?" Ragland inspected Desmond's healing gunshot injuries as he spoke. Desmond fidgeted uncomfortably, gazing at the far wall. A faint hue of pink flushed across Desmond's face.

"He said…he said, 'you mean the world to me'…" Desmond's voice lowered to just above a whisper while his face turned two shades darker. Ragland looked at him, then started to chuckle. Desmond turned his head to look at Ragland. A confused and slightly mortified look accompanied his rose pink flush. Ragland shook his head, still amused.

"Alex said that?" Desmond nodded, now feeling even more embarrassed. Ragland's laughter calmed down, a grin still crossed his face. "He probably meant nothing by it. Alex tends to speak without thinking." Desmond lowered his head a bit.

"Really? I guess you would know since you've been around him longer, huh Doc?" Desmond looked a little relieved. "So, when can I start moving around?"

"Changing the subject I see. Well, to answer your question, you can, just go too far or move too much. As long as you do that, you shouldn't reopen your injuries." Ragland pulled away from Desmond, finished with his check-up.

"Thanks, Doc. I was starting to think I was going to go crazy if I had to sit there another minute." Desmond sat up in his bed, careful to not move too fast. Ragland smiled a bit at him.

"Just be careful. Call if you need anything." And with that, Ragland left the room. Desmond swung his legs over the side of the bed. He waited a moment before carefully standing up. All of his bones popped back into place as he stretched, stiff from just laying there. He walked towards the door, sticking close to the walls just in case his body decided to give out on him. Desmond enjoyed being able to walk around, even if it was just a little bit. He had successfully walked down the majority of the hall that connected to his room. He was heading to the mess hall when things started to become grey, like he was using eagle vision. He immediately stopped when he saw images of horses gallop past him, faded to a ghostly white.

No.

This couldn't be happening.

People dead for centuries were now standing in front of him in the same ghastly white. Children ran, laughing as they chased one another. The images faded as a new person appeared in from of him. Desmond felt himself go pale. The figure stood there in front of him for only a moment before turning around and running into the black and grey world. Desmond began to walk forward, hoping the images would pass as his newfound headache progressed. The darkened world soon flashed with color, revealing a time long forgotten.

"_What the hell… _

_What is this? _

_Where am I? _

_It's…Acre. _

_Altair… _

_How the hell…? _

_I'm not even in the Animus. _

_I-I must have passed out. Just, having some kind of weird dream. _

_That must be his target…" _

Altair started to chase the figure, running through the streets, climbing ladders running over rooftops, and scaling a tower just to get to the person. When he reached the top of the tower, the figure removed their hood as they turned to Altair.

"_It's the woman from Acre…_

_What's her name? Maria! Yeah._

_I wonder what he wants with her._

_Whoa._

_I wasn't expecting that."_

After Altair took a roll in the hay with Maria, he got up. Maria understood he could not stay for long, lest they were found. She watched him longingly leave.

"_Wait a second… _

_Aren't I following Altair?_

_I'm stuck here with Maria?_

_Oh shit…_

_That must be…_

_This is one weird dream…"_

Desmond collapsed on the floor, completely out.

…

When he awoke, he was back in bed and Alex was walking out of the room. Desmond sat up and held his head. It still hurt slightly.

"What's going on…" He muttered to himself. He wished Lucy was there, she'd know what was happening to him. He sighed and attempted to get up again. He found it was surprisingly easier than before, his wounds not hurting too much if at all. He headed off in the general direction Alex walked off in.

It took him a couple of minutes, but he found the older man in Dana's room. Alex was standing over her, turning his head slightly toward Desmond when he walked in.

"…Thanks." Alex turned more toward Desmond, an eyebrow raised as if he didn't know what Desmond meant by that. Desmond felt his face heat up a bit. "Thanks for putting me back on my bed…" Alex just blinked at him, and then shrugged.

"I merely figured it'd be comfier than the floor, which you so gracefully fell on." Alex looked at him suspiciously, probably trying to figure out why Desmond fell in the first place. Desmond looked at him, his face heating up again when a smartass smirk appeared on Alex's face. He turned to leave the room, muttering what an ass Alex was as his face held a slight pink tint to them.


End file.
